Two female police officers and a civilian have been shot dead by a man shouting Allahu Akbar, which led to a hostage situation at a high school in Liege, east Belgium.

The attacker, who is understood to have been released from prison yesterday, approached the two female officers from behind, and stabbed them several times with a knife at around 10.30am local time.

Belgian prosecutors say the attacker then disarmed the officers and used their own guns to kill them, before shooting dead a 22-year-old man in a nearby vehicle.

The alleged terrorist then reportedly fled to a nearby secondary school and took a female cleaner hostage inside, before being shot dead by an elite police unit.

He was later named by Belgian broadcaster RTBF as Benjamin Herman, 36, a violent drug dealer let out on day-release from a local prison on Monday, and who they claim had been 'radicalized' in prison.

Local news website DHnet.be reported that he had shouted 'Allahu Akbar' as he fired on on Liege's central Boulevard d'Avroy, citing police sources.

The civilian shot dead in his car has since been named by local media as 22-year-old Cyril Vangriecken, a 22-year-old from the nearby town of Vottem.

Videos posted on social media showed people scurrying for safety on Liege's central boulevard d'Avroy with shots and sirens being heard in the background.

One video show emergency services and police officers in body armour moving into position, another sees the two police officers shot dead in the street.

Minutes later, anti-terrorist special forces police could be seen surrounding the area, which went into lock down.

Philippe Dulieu, spokesman for the Liege prosecutor's office, told reporters the man had come out firing from the high school, before he was 'neutralised'.

'Armed with a knife, the suspect followed and attacked two police officers, and used their own firearms to kill them,' Mr Dulieu told a news conference.

'He continued on foot, attacking a parked vehicle where he opened fire on a 22-year-old man in the passenger seat. The young man died.

'He then continued and entered the Leonie de Waha school. He took a woman working there as hostage. Police intervened, he came out firing on the police officers, wounding a number of them, notably in the legs, before he was killed.'

All students in the school were successfully evacuated, and the female hostage released without being caused any harm.

Officials say they are now considering the attack on Tuesday morning to have been an act of terrorism.

Catherine Collignon, a spokesman for Liege prosecutors, confirmed 'four deaths in total', with two other police officers seriously wounded.

She confirmed that 'terrorism' was currently considered the principal motivation for the attack by those leading the judicial enquiry.

'Our thoughts are with the victims of this horrible act. We are in the process of establishing an overview of exactly what happened,' Jambon wrote on Twitter.

The crisis centre said a security cordon had been set up around the area and urged people to stay away.

French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the 'terrible' suspected terror attack and expressed the 'solidarity of the French people with the Belgian people' after hosting an international peace conference on Libya.

British Prime Minister Theresa May also expressed her sympathies in a tweet posted on Tuesday afternoon, saying: 'My thoughts are with the victims of today's cowardly attack in Belgium and their grieving families. The UK stands resolute with our Belgian allies against terror.'

Liege, an industrial city close to the German border in the French-speaking Wallonia region, was also the scene of a shooting in 2011.

A gunman killed four people and wounded over 100 before turning the gun on himself.

Belgium has been on high alert since a Brussels-based ISIS terror cell was involved in attacks on Paris in 2015 that killed 130 people, and Brussels in 2016 in which 32 died.

The UK Foreign Office advises British citizens that 'terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Belgium.'

The Foreign Office's travel advice website adds that 'attacks could happen anywhere, including on public transport and transport hubs and in other places visited by foreigners'.

2 comments:

What a he-man, attacking and killing women. In prior more sensible days this vermin would be beaten to death properly in prison, but now, he is a hero! Prisons are full of Muslim criminals, and what do you think, this guy is going to be Queen of the Prom from here on in. He earned his Brownie points. These simpering, prancing nations won't do this of course, but I am hoping the US will at some point. Attacks on officers needs to be considered an attack on law and order and the nation itself. Until it is these perps won't take it seriously and it actually enhances their social standing. Bad idea. Want to end it quick? Make it a federal crime akin to treason. Give the perp a maximum 60 day sentence for determining likely guilt by an impartial and anonymous board. At the end of that period, death by hanging.Shenanigans over.

Our political leaders can't even say "thoughts and prayers" any more. Now, only their "thoughts" are with the victims. Sad. Give Prime Minister May some warm cocoa to soothe her suffering.

I prefer the response of the woman on the balcony, you reported on today, yelling deprecations in a live fire shooting zone at the Muslim vermin below walking around killing people: "Allah Akbar de merde", "your false god sucks".

I am tired of the sorrowful hand wringing; thoughts and sorrows (prayers now forbidden) etc. "Allah akbar de merde", "abbatez-le" "shoot him", should be the proper response of Western leaders.